1/2 Werk - Menelik II Reverse Trial

This is a reverse trial piece for the 1/2 Werk coinage issued under Menelik II, who was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in November 1889 — the same year he signed the Treaty of Wuchale with Italy, a document whose Amharic and Italian versions would be interpreted so differently that they triggered the First Italo-Ethiopian War six years later. Trial strikes in pewter were a standard proofing method for the Paris Mint, which handled Ethiopian coinage during this period, allowing die alignment and relief depth to be assessed before committing to silver production.